


Did They Seem Too Real To You

by Katyuana



Series: Just Open Up and Sing [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Pearl focus, Rebellion, Slavery, just generally centered around pearls, not our pearl, pearl centric, pearls, really bad headspace for pearls, really bad morals, some messed up pearls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 14:39:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5874457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katyuana/pseuds/Katyuana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eyes closed, eyes closed. </p>
<p>Plum thinks of rebellion and dancing to her own tune and pearls free to live a life of their own, without orders and without terror. A fire is rising in her.</p>
<p>Eyes closed, eyes closed.</p>
<p>Plum's eyes are open.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Did They Seem Too Real To You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [love-killed-the-superstar (The_PalletShipping_Ninja)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=love-killed-the-superstar+%28The_PalletShipping_Ninja%29).



> heyyyy wow. my first work posted here. that's pretty cool. 
> 
> Love-killed-the-superstar drew art and I was inspired..
> 
> http://love-killed-the-superstar.tumblr.com/post/136973598931/what-about-a-plum-pearl
> 
> http://love-killed-the-superstar.tumblr.com/post/136977558501/so-i-was-wondering-about-plum-pearl-does-she
> 
> http://love-killed-the-superstar.tumblr.com/post/136986416666/ah-i-see-u-and-i-had-the-same-idea-i-had-thought
> 
> (Really ambiguous ideas for PD and WD. PD is not Rose Quartz in this)
> 
> Title from Stars- Dead Hearts because I'm fxking obsessed with that song.

Gems are part of an ever expanding empire of colonies. Food (although it's not called that exactly for a long time in Gem vocabulary) is one of the new delicacies added to the more elite Gems' schedule. It's a luxury afforded only to the elites and it ends up in part of the Diamond Authority's luxury times. Of course, they can't make the food themselves, right? They most certainly cannot serve it or have another gem do it, they require a specially made pearl maid to make and serve the food for them. 

Blue Diamond reassures her fellow Diamonds that she will take care of the pearl's making and oversee it personally. Hardly a few rotations of the planet they currently occupy pass and Blue Diamond smugly brings a delicate little plum pearl to the next Diamond meeting to show off. The pearl is wearing the typical one-suit common to pearls and the sheer skirt that Blue Diamond favors in her pearls. Yellow Diamond grumbles at the prominently displayed blue rhombuses on the sash around her waist, complete with a fancy bow. Yellow Diamond would prefer that the pearl have a more ambiguous owner but Blue Diamond has staked her claim very firmly on this specific pearl. It has been decided that Blue Diamond will host the meetings with food with this display. Sheer long gloves cover her arms and hands which are clasped into a submissive pose, she is the image of a perfect pearl. Yellow Diamond rolls her eyes. She personally thinks taking time off just for something completely unnecessary is just wasting time, not to mention Blue Diamond has barred the pearl from leaving her palace. 

"Isn't she just perfect?" Blue Diamond says, making a motion for the pearl to twirl, to show off her inborn grace and elegance. The pearl has her eyes downcast; she does not dare to even look at the Diamonds. 

Pink Diamond nods enthusiastically in response. "I'm surprised at you, Blue. Don't your pearls have their eyes covered?"

"Yes, but she will need to see if she wants to do her job properly." A massive hand reaches for the small pearl and a finger lifts up her chin. The pearl can barely hold herself back from flinching at the touch. The words that Blue Diamond speaks makes her want to shudder. She cannot imagine being denied sight, she is already denied her freedom and thoughts of her own. 

The Diamonds keep talking but the pearl stands there silently for the rest of the meeting.

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

 

 

Plum is sent to the new kitchens with specific instructions to make the newest trend of favorites. She finds her form has a tendency to shake in nervousness and terror. Failure is not tolerated and if she had a heart, it would be beating double time. There is not a word for it now but anxiety is rippling through her body without mercy. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

The first dinner is an anxiety riddled evening for Plum. _Plum is my name _, she thinks to herself,_ Plum is my name _. She remembers staring at the thing that made her, the words of "Plum Pearl" emblazoned on it. Blue Diamond has only ever called her just pearl and she can only think of Plum every time. It is her name. It's a tiny rebellion against her situation and she relishes thinking of her name. Her name, her own name. It is hers, she is not a faceless pearl, swapped out without regard.__

The Diamonds put in orders for strange food and Plum's fingers tremble as she makes every food diligently and precisely to the letter of the recipes. If she fails today, her gem will be crushed and a new pearl will take her place. 

The Diamonds hardly give notice to her when they come into the hall and eat Plum's food. She reappears again and again to refill plates and cups and is beckoned and dismissed with a flick of the hand, never looked at, completely overlooked. She may as well be invisible for all the attention she gets. Her feet hardly make a sound as she goes up and down the table, replacing plates in her gem storage and refilling drinks. 

When the dining is over, Plum cleans the table with shaking hands. When she is alone in the 'kitchens' she leans against the wall and slides down, burying her head in the sheer fabric of her skirt. Her illusionary form shakes. She has escaped death today. The Diamonds hold her fate in their hands everyday and if they decide they do not like her for an arbitrary reason, there will be no saving her. 

A pair of feet appear in Plum's field of vision and she recognizes Lilac's rose pink shoes. Lilac is a pearl of Pink Diamond's that was sent here for some reason and Pink Diamond forgot about her. She had remained out of sight, out of mind, and the addition of the kitchen makes another spot for her to hide where the Diamonds never go. She had greeted Plum when she was sent to the newly made kitchen, along with any other pearls that were free at the time. The pearls of the palace had a very tight knit community within the palace. 

Lilac slides down to sit next to her. A pale pink arm loops around her shoulders. They sit in silence. Lilac doesn't say anything and Plum doesn't say a word. 

It truly sinks in that the Diamonds don't even care about pearls at all. Blue Diamond, who had so proudly shown Plum off to her partners, hadn't even noticed Plum. Not a single thing even indicated that Plum existed. 

This is the life of a pearl.

 

 

Plum rebels quietly in an attempt to cope. She sneaks licks of tasty delicacies and steals bites of fruit. The small things. She never dares to go further. 

Lilac is a dear companion in the times when Plum feels like she is falling apart at the seams yet pearls do not have feelings or thoughts so she must be quiet and dutiful and answer every order without question. The pink pearl has a silent support that Plum depends on. Lilac was supposed to be an entertainer, with her pretty hair and the fluffy skirt and the diamond patterned leggings. But she was left behind. Lilac's eyes are dull and she never speaks. Plum wonders if Pink Diamond has her pearls made to never utter a word. Blue Diamond hardly allows hers to see. What do White Diamond and Yellow Diamond do to theirs? 

 

 

Plum holds herself together better and goes on, taking things day by day. The Diamonds seem to hardly have time in their busy schedule for dinners so Diamond dinners are a rare occasion. Blue Diamond holds feasts often for only the most elite gems. Plum is set to make extravagant amounts of food, way more than they could ever eat. She decorates layers and layers of cake. She stirs and heats up teas and juices. The entire day and night before, she spent a bustling around her kitchen, working herself to to exhaustion only to spent the entire next day servicing the elites, with a smile on her face, of course. Pearls are always happy to service gems, of course.

When the feast finally winds down, Plum cleans the table, the hall, the dishes and her kitchen. The leftover food is packed away. Then she rests for just a few moments. 

She hates feasts. Simple dinners she can handle, there isn't as much food to prepare. Plum knows that Blue Diamond has scheduled a breakfast for tomorrow and the food she has ordered takes a while to cook. She has to get started.

 

 

Plum discovers a love for music. She can faintly hear the music of a celebrations that don't order food that they don't need and finds herself entranced by the music. She does her best to mimic the tunes and melodies and tries her best to dance. She doesn't know what dancing is. She has been locked away from seeing anyone that doesn't come to her and no one does except for pearls. Plum twirls and if she had a heart, it would be beating itself out of her chest. The music inspires a fire in her and the melodies entrance her. 

Lilac watches from the pearl corridor door, eyes hooded and dull. She once danced for Pink Diamond and now she watches the younger pearl stumble her way through. Plum feels a rare giggle bounce out of her as she moves to the music she hears faintly. A tiny true smile curls Plum's lips and Lilac remembers the time that she actually enjoyed dancing for her Diamond, believing that Pink Diamond actually valued her. Lilac turns away. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

 

 

Plum finds cooking a mindless experience. She wonders if she was designed with cooking as her prominent skill. Plum can lose herself in just baking for hours and making the most elaborate desserts seems like second nature. She tries not to think about it too much and her kitchen becomes a warm place, with the smell of cooking food and the soft humming of a lonely pearl. 

 

 

Pearls come to Plum's kitchen often. It was becoming a small safe haven. The Diamond Authority regard it as an unfit place and Plum was alone in it except for the pearls. 

Powder Blue, Blue Diamond's personal pearl, visits very rarely, eyes covered by a mop of hair. Plum looks at her and knows she was barely saved from the fate of being denied sight. Powder Blue rarely speaks and simply stays to smell the aroma of cooking food and then leaves silently. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Night Blue is the most common types of pearls that Blue Diamond has in her staff, as maids, butlers, anything. They are for anything that anyone asks them to do. Most of them seem identical yet Plum looks at their wavering smiles and tiny little cues of hand movements and she feels like they are each a world away from being just another pearl, the same as every other one. Sometimes, the Night Blues sit in the corner of Plum's kitchen in a pearl puppy pile, out of sight of the screen that Plum receives her orders on. They drape their arms around each other, rest their heads on each other and and take in tactile support from each other, sometimes just whispering wordless comforts to each other. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed. 

Lilac wanders the hidden corridors shaped for only pearls to fit through. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Matte Blue is the second most common pearl that Blue Diamond owns. They are the attendants of the elite, personal pearls but not customized for them. Matte Blues curl up in Plum's kitchen corners, like the weight of whatever has been done to them is too much to bear at times. Plum tries not to think about whatever happens behind closed doors. Night Blues are made to obey any order and Matte Blues are made to obey their specific owner's orders. They are similar in the regard that if a gem asks them to give themselves fully, they can never say no. Plum sometimes hates being locked away in a kitchen but sometimes, she thinks of other fates. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Plum sets down tiny scraps of desserts that she only makes for the diamonds for the pearls. Sometimes, when she can spare the supplies with a reasonable excuse about their loss, she makes the food that Diamonds regard as their highest treat. She wants the pearls to feel special. They nibble lightly, the scraps not enough to last more than a bite and never ever even close to big enough that a digestive system is required. The flavors are rich and sometimes the pearl manages a smile. Smiles are hard, Plum knows. She never expects a thank you. Even among each other, it's rare if the pearls speak. Words are silenced too often for any to speak freely. 

She hums sometimes. To herself, to a curled up pearl, to Lilac. The feasts that are sometimes held are often music-less and are filled with the roar of conversation. The only times she hears music is if a group of musician gems are ordered to play and the faint music that creeps into her thick kitchen walls. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Sometimes, the pearls she knows never come back. Plum knows why. She knows loss intimately and she has not even lived for hardly more than a decade's worth. She wonders, sometimes, if she will make it to a hundred. She doesn't call any pear friends but they are the closest to family Plum will ever get. 

 

 

When White Diamond's entourage arrives at Blue Diamond's palace, a massive feast is held. Plum wonders if Blue Diamond has forgotten that she only has one pearl in the kitchen. Plum pulls out all the stops, taking out leftovers and making them presentable and summons Holo-Pearls to do setting the table and the smaller things. She layers the cake seven layers tall, with pale gray swirls and pure white frosting and everything is pure and quiet. Even the music for the feast is quiet. White Diamond is huge and awe-inspiring. Silence is a natural effect of her presence. 

Plum fits everything together just in time. The entourage floods into the dining hall and Plum is waiting, standing obediently against the wall. All the gems seat themselves, Blue Diamond herself at the end of the table and White Diamond at the other end. The clinks of the plates is the only sound for a while. 

Powder Blue is here. She stands behind Blue Diamond, hands clasped and head down. 

White Diamond's own personal pearl is here too. White Pearl's eyes are closed and her whole body is hidden by a diamond shaped covering that reaches her waist and the longer sheer skirt under it covers the rest of her body. Her hair a gray fluff and her entire posture is screaming of vulnerability. She's just so delicate. 

_Oh, what do they do to you?_

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Plum is shaking with nerves. Yes, she has seen White Diamond's pearl before but today, Plum is just on edge for no conceivable reason. The presence of other pearls, reminding her of her own helplessness in her own life, is no help. 

Plum sees the slight movement that signals her to refill a cup and she hurries forward, tipping the teapot to fill the cup. Then her night of anxiety and constant awareness begins. 

Near the end of the night, Blue Diamond launches a surprise. Plum nearly drops the teapot. She hates surprises. She busies herself with putting away some dishes into her gem storage and replaces them with full dishes. 

"I have scheduled some entertainment for us tonight," Blue Diamond says grandly. She gestures, hand moving gracefully and it signals a group of pearls to hurry into the large empty space of the hall. 

Plum's grip on the teapot nearly slips. Pearls, Light Blue pearls, are not part of the pearls that Blue Diamond has in her palace. Blue Diamond must have had these specifically made for this dinner. Plum sneaks glances at these new pearls. Eventually, Plum thinks they will be in her kitchen. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

The music is haunting and softer than a fluttering breeze. The dancing pearls' skirts are like the petals of delicate flowers that Plum has only seen in pictures and recreated in frosting of cakes. Their eyes are closed. Plum's heart, though she doesn't have one, aches. The pearls in her kitchen have never bared their eyes. She thinks that they might be as dull as Lilac's eyes but sometimes she thinks they might be the most heartbreaking sight she would ever see. 

The music sings through Plum and her shaking relieves. Her hands are steady and sure, a confidence she has never felt taking the nervousness' place. The dinner feels like a breeze. The music is soft but louder than anything Plum hears in her kitchen. 

The pearls dance, balancing on long limbs with enviable grace and in surprising coordination. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Is anyone even watching? No one watches pearls. No one cares about pearls.

Eyes closed, eyes closed. 

Plum thinks of rebellion and dancing to her own tune and pearls free to live a life of their own, without orders and without terror. A fire is rising in her. 

Eyes closed, eyes closed.

Plum's eyes are open.

 

 

Tales of a renegade pearl spreads fast. Rebellion, the pearls all think. It's real and even a pearl can do it. Pearls can do it. They can do it. 

Plum thinks of how loose lipped the Diamond Matriarches are around pearls. After all, pearls have no thoughts, no feelings. She thinks that, with her darting up and down the table during the rare Diamond dinners and the more frequent elite feasts, she knows more about the status of Diamond politics than most politician Gems. 

They don't know that Powder Blue records every encounter that the Rebels have with Blue Diamond. The Night Blues, in just about every position in the palace, record every instance that the Rebels have inside the palace. Powder Blue risks her life to show the rest of the pearls the recording of the Renegade Pearl, _fighting. We can fight, _whisper the pearls in the silent corners of a warm kitchen.__

Eyes open, eyes open.

 

 

In one future, rebellion grows in the least likely place. Plum gathers the pearls in her kitchen, all that can make it. Some can't. Plum aches for them but this is her one chance. She destroys the physical forms of the pearls gathered, stuffs the gems into her gem storage and sneaks out of the palace. She makes her way down to earth, down to the Rebellion on a storage ship. Things happen after that. So many things and so many possibilities. A revolution of pearls. 

She leads the pearls in an overthrowing of the chains that hold them down. _Free, _she screams to the sky of her new home, of the Earth that holds a million potential futures for her, when before her future was toiling away to please the Gems that would never give her a second glances._ Free at last. I'm free!_

In one such future, Plum makes it through the war, loses her friends and fights her way to see the fruit of her labors, meets a small purple gem and strikes up a friendship. Cooking is something she reclaims for herself, making it something she enjoys. Music is shared so freely and she listens and dances without reserve. She eats and laughs and smiles with the leader of the rebellion and the fusion who had caused a wave of change with her creation. She finds herself a family in them and thousands of years later, a child that is loved with big brown eyes and curly hair is added to their family, even if the pink gem who has been with them for so long is gone. 

But in another future, Plum is broken for a tiny mistake she makes and another pearl replaces her. Lilac doesn't come to the kitchen again. The pearls don't escape and they never join the renegade pearl in the rebellion. A future of happiness is dusted away and Plum is never remembered as anything other than a faceless pearl. 

War happens either way. 

Eyes open. But they still don't see.


End file.
